The Island of Suwarrow and its surrounding waters was declared a National Park in 1978 under the Conservation Act 1975. The legal opinion sought in 2001 clarifies that Suwarrow is Crown Land. Today, Suwarrow is under the jurisdiction of the National Environment Service (NES) since 2003, for the primary purpose of conserving, preserving, protecting and managing the natural resources of Suwarrow.

In 1989, the kakerori (Pomarea dimidiata) was one of the 10 rarest birds in the world with a declining population of just 29 individuals living in forested hill country in the Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA) of south-eastern Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Following 12 years of rat poisoning, the population had increased to 255 birds in August 2001. The programme then shifted from ‘species recovery’ to ‘sustainable management’ of the Rarotonga population at 250 to 300 birds. The rat poisoning effort was reduced, and an ‘insurance’ population was established on Atiu.